Justice League: What the Critics Are Saying

Wonder Woman, Batman, The Flash, Cyborg, Superman and Aquaman must band together to fight their greatest threat yet: movie critics. The beleaguered DC production Justice League finally hits the big screen this weekend, and the reviews range from mildly satisfied to savage. It's currently sitting at 43% on Rotten Tomatoes (though that will fluctuate as more reviews are published.) Here’s a roundup of what the top critics have to say:

"Instead of the Freudian gloom and doom of the Caped Crusader (Ben Affleck) and the Man of Steel (Henry Cavill) hating on each other, this coming together of DC’s heavy hitters takes so many happy pills it almost overdoses on them. No one sings ‘the sun’ll come out tomorrow’ in this movie. But the attitude is so bright and optimistic that you might mistake it for a fun ride on the Marvel express." – Rolling Stone

"Surely the most infantile of recent superhero yarns — a film that squanders the talents of an impressive ensemble cast and eschews any meaningful characterisation in favour of ever more overblown special effects." – The Independent

"There are good, cute and funny moments that the editing team should be applauded for, but there aren't enough to distract from the beautiful, chaotic mess that Justice League ends up being." – Polygon

"It's not just a sequel — it’s an act of franchise penance. The movie, which gathers up half a dozen comic-book immortals and lets them butt heads on their way to kicking ass, is never messy or bombastic. It's light and clean and simple (at times almost too simple), with razory repartee and combat duels that make a point of not going on for too long." – Variety

"I had low expectations for this movie and was pleasantly surprised. Justice League delivers on its action, special effects, performance, and story. It's a pleasant surprise to see a film with both Batman and Superman that isn’t abominable, horrendous and dreadful." – Black Girl Nerds

"Justice League feels very much like a film that first had one director's hands on it, and then another's. That's a good and a bad thing. It's perhaps best described as a Snyder Instagram post with a heavy Whedon filter applied over the top." – Consequence of Sound

"Though [Zach] Snyder's somber template is very much in place (he and Terrio share story credit), [Joss] Whedon has loosened and humanized the story's tone to allow for engaging moments of humor and fun, especially from Ezra Miller's the Flash." – LA Times

"Of the main performers, only Gal Gadot pops from the screen at all... though you may end up wondering why she's wasting her time." –The Hollywood Reporter

"I think the film's lighter tone owes more to the massive success of Wonder Woman, which dared embrace its character's altruism and goodness and was much better off for it. But Justice League's cheeriness comes off as strained, to say the least." – The Atlantic

"There is something ponderous and cumbersome about Justice League; the great revelation is very laborious and solemn and the tiresome post-credits sting is a microcosm of the film’s disappointment." –The Guardian

"Like Batman Forever back in the summer of 1995, Justice League is Warner Bros.' attempt to retrofit their significant superhero property into a lighter, campier and more kid-friendly package. It is more artistically successful as a soft reboot than a stand-alone movie." – Forbes

"Taking more than one page from Marvel's first Avengers installment, Justice League rounds up the current spate of active D.C. franchise superheroes, and the resulting 119-minute pileup of showdowns and one-liners is an undeniably tighter, more engaging experience. It’s also a tired, conventional attempt to play by the rules, with 'hold for laughs' moments shoehorned between rapid-fire action — a begrudging concession that the Marvel formula works, and a shameless attempt to replicate it." – Indiewire